The technical field of this invention is material analysis and, in particular the invention relates to the detection and quantification of analytes in foods by measuring reflectivity at multiple wavelengths.
Material analysis, especially the analysis of foods for the presence of contaminants and/or degradation products, can be a tedious and complex task. In many instances it would be more desirable to be able to analyze such materials quickly, easily, and non-destructively. One example of such an application is meat analysis.
Conventionally, meats and other foods are analyzed by extracting a sample and examining it using one or more techniques such as immunoassays, activity assays, chromotographic assays, and spectrophotometric assays. These conventional methods all suffer from several common disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that it usually takes some time to perform tests on the sample, the length of time being dependent on the complexity of the test. This time delay between when the sample is taken and when the analysis is completed provides a window during which the food's content may have changed, leading to erroneous test results.
Additionally, situations arise when repeated monitoring is desirable, for example when monitoring daily changes in the freshness of refrigerated meats and the like. Similarly, continuous measurements can be desirable in monitoring the cooking or other preparatory steps in food processing.
In the absence of reliable and rapid measurement techniques, wholesome foodstuffs often must be destroyed because arbitrary shelf-life or refrigeration limitations have expired. Likewise, in the absence of careful attention, foods can be ruined due to overcooking or other errors during processing.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an analytic apparatus for non-destructively, quickly, and easily detecting and quantifying analytes in a material.
It is another object of this invention to provide an analytic apparatus particularly adapted for detecting and quantifying the state or condition of foods in such a way as to avoid the problems of stale test results and food waste.